US Navy,
OAK HARBOR: The “Scorpions” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 132 held a final flight ceremony for the EA-6B Prowler at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Nov. 7, giving the aircraft a respectful farewell and beginning the squadron's transition the EA-18G Growler.
Members of the VAQ community gathered in Hangar 8 to say good-bye to the venerable aircraft, which has fulfilled the electronic attack capability of VAQ-132 for almost 38 years.
“Today marks the end of an era. Today we celebrate the culmination of nearly four decades of safe, professional and proud achievements,” said Cmdr. Matt Vandersluis, VAQ-132 commanding officer. “The Scorpions' history is littered with unit citations, combat operations, record setting performances, and, most notably, firsts.”
The Scorpions were the first operational squadron to transition to the Prowler in January 1971 and now are going to be the first to transition to the Growler as well. Over the course of their history together, VAQ-132 has logged more than 65,000 mishap-free flight hours in the EA-6B. They were the first to the fight in electronic attack by being the first Prowler squadron in Vietnam, the first to give support in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and Operation Deny Flight in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
“It's a huge chapter. It's kind of sad to see the Prowler go after the length of service it's been around for, 37 years, with this squadron and the history it has with the enlisted and officers, but I know they're very excited about the new platform,” said Capt. Norb Szarleta, Carrier Air Wing 17 commander.
With the expected receipt date of their first Growler being August 2009, the Scorpions are in the process of getting their maintenance personnel qualified and their publications updated to ensure a smooth transition to their new responsibilities.
“We are preparing by sending everybody to the schools required, we've got all of our tools and support equipment for Prowlers turned in and are ready to receive all the new tools and equipment,” said Master Chief Aviation Administration man (AW/SW) James Campbell, VAQ-132 Maintenance Master Chief. “There really aren't too many obstacles; it's a maintenance-friendly aircraft. Our systems will remain the same in function, but the configuration will be different.”
The Scorpions have received six Chief of Naval Operations Safety Awards, four Battle Efficiency awards, and the Arthur W. Radford Award, as well as many others, in the time they have been flying the Prowler.
“I think this will be one of the more successful transitions for squadrons going to an absolutely different platform. Everyone has come together on this and made it work, it's been very smooth so far,” added Campbell.
The aircrews flying the Growlers will also face new challenges with the aircraft's increased capability, leading to new mission sets they can perform.
“They're going to be flying more in the air-to-air arena than we have for the past 35 years. We're going to see Growler integrated into strike packages much more effectively,” said Capt. Brad Russell, commodore of Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “It's a real situational awareness machine; the cockpit has a lot more information for the strikers. So, you're going to be able to provide your battle and strike groups with a lot more timely information as far as what's going on with the threat.”
After VAQ-132, the VAQ-141 “Shadow Hawks” will be the next squadron in line for the transition, starting in April 2009.
